Following is the “Meet a Reader” that appears in this month’s print edition of The Catholic Post.
How you know me:
I am married to Karl. We have three grown children plus two grandchildren aged two and four. We are Eucharistic Ministers at St Mary’s Church in Bloomington. Karl and I have been very active with Bloomington Normal Cursillo since 1984.
Why I love reading:
I grew up in a small burg of around 100 people with one church, one school and one small general store. I attended a two-room schoolhouse through sixth grade. My sixth grade class totaled one boy and three girls. After I discovered reading and books, my life changed by expanding greatly!
I often got in trouble at home because I was upstairs “hiding” with a book instead of doing my chores. Reading was not only a way to learn, but also an escape of my surroundings into many different worlds. Books were so important in my life that I worked 34 years as a school librarian so I could share the joy of reading with others.
What I’m reading now:
Karl and I recently took a class on Centering Prayer so just started reading Thomas Keating’s Open Mind, Open Heart. Our St. Mary’s Bible study group is currently doing Walking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross by Edward Sri. Over the last eight years, we have completed most of the studies by Jeff Cavins and other authors at Ascension Press.
I was a high school media specialist so I still have a love for young adult literature. Our daughter, who is a HS Media Specialist in North Carolina, highly recommended The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book gave me a better lens to view our county’s current racial injustice.
My favorite book:
What!?!? This is akin to asking me who of my three children I love the most. Since I am constantly reading, this answer changes every few months. Being a convert to Catholicism, I learned so much about Mary from reading 33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael E. Gaitley. I love the spiritual author Anne Lamont’s work, especially Traveling Mercies. For over two years I’ve been promoting All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. His beautiful writing caused me to stop and reread several passages over and over.